Decorating your first Aquarium using common sense

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

One of the fun things about an aquarium is decorating it.

The options are endless.

There are as many choices you can make as their are humans on earth!

So how then can we decide?

There are three top level choices to start with.

Natural, artificial and hybrid.

With natural you google the types of fish you have and look at pictures of the fish in their natural environment. (click images)

The same goes for artificial.

Hybrid is up to you where you would select a mixed combination of elements to decorate your aquarium.

The choices are many and self evident as far as size is concerned. Color is a matter of taste or if you go the natural route you duplicate the pictures you have seen of the biotope.

Biotope is a fancy word for natural habitat. It could be a stream or a coral reef.

One way to get ideas is to visit an aquarium shop  - the better shops have nicely decorated tanks as well as some if not all of the decorations you will need.

Don’t use wood or rocks picked up in nature. Spend a few dollars on aquarium ready substrate instead.

Keep in mind the following:

Sand or gravel is a pain in the ass. Detritus (fish shit) accumulates under the surface. This can be good or bad  - you’ll need to read up on biological filtration to understand why.

One thing I want to mention is that there are numerous excellent books on decorating an aquarium and a library of 2 or 3 books is a worthwhile investment.

Since this is your first aquarium I assume it is freshwater. In fact I recommend freshwater for starters. But if not the same reference materials are available for saltwater tanks as well.

I recommend going natural in appearance and although you can do live plants go artificial first time around – you won’t know the difference and live plants require a lot more expertise.

There is a LOT more I could write  - but the most important thing you could do is read a lot. The internet can get very confusing when you solicit opinions and ask questions. For every helpful aquarium owner there will be a different answer to the same question

Good luck.

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Website Timeshares; an opportunity to make money doing nothing

Posted on March 28, 2012 by

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Make money a few pennies at a time in your spare time

Posted on February 20, 2012 by

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Discus expertise

Posted on February 16, 2012 by

I consider myself a Discus expert … and I’m sure most Discus experts will disagree with me …. I’ve hardly ever kept Discus and have never bred them …… then again when it comes to any aquarium fish I feel I’m an expert … regardless of any hands on experience …..it’s definitely all the mistakes I’ve made over 50 years …. and mistake by mistake I’ve improved.

Basically the literature covers the basic ingredients for success .. although I caution you to read many, many books & magazines … this research is important with Discus as well as any other fish available to the hobby …… regardless of price!

Emulating their natural environment is rule number one … in some cases such as Discus, the fish are less tolerant and the margin of error is slim or nil ….

Discus HAVE lived for more than 17 years in captivity … think about that …..

PH, water quality, temperature, lighting and physical layout …. it’s not rocket science ….

Many fish die because the aquarium keeper loses interest, gets lazy, wasn’t ready to properly care for the aquarium, or went on vacation :-)

The most important ingredient for breeding fish is nutrition … in many cases knowing something about “spawning triggers” such as changes in climate … rainfall, temperature, sunlight(periods of light), PH etc will increase the chance something happens …..

The rules I preach for all aquariums apply to all fish … one is water volume … since the more water volume the more stable the physical and chemical environment …. stability is important unless instigating a change in conditions as a spawning trigger ….. of course knowing a LOT about the fish you are working with is essential ….

Breeding fish like anything else in life is easy or difficult depending on how much effort you put into knowing what you are doing …… READ!

Breeding is without question the most enjoyable aspect of the aquarium hobby … the different characteristics of fish offer plenty of challenges and insight into the wonderful world of nature that surrounds us.

The successful aquarist believes in the concept that understanding how to keep up a successful aquarium leads to an understanding of how important nature is to properly support our planet. Conservation, ecology, environment and nature are the most important words in our lives. Now more than ever

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Some indigenous Rift Lake – Lake Malawi East African Cichlids

Posted on January 30, 2012 by
Aulonocara stuartgranti

Aulonocara stuartgranti “Neon Violet Ungi Peacock” – Adult

Aulonocara stuartgranti “Neon Violet Ungi” males feature an electric blue head, dorsal fin and tail, with a yellow body and large yellow ventral fins. Females have a drab appearance which is characteristic of the genus. Aulonocaras are called Peacock Cichlids due to the fantastic coloration developed by dominant males. They are Malawi mouthbrooders, and there are many color variants that have developed within species at different points in the lake. Peacock cichlids may be housed with other species of Lake Malawi fish with similar temperament. They should not be housed with other Peacocks unless ample room is provided, and males may not develop brilliant colors due to dominance issues. Research will help the aquarist pick out the most appropriate fish to mix. Aulonocara will accept both flake or pellet food soon after being introduced into the aquarium. A variety of foods is recommended to encourage coloration and supply the fish with appropriate vitamins and minerals. They may also be fed frozen foods as a healthy treat.

 

Protomelas taeniolatus

Protomelas taeniolatus “Red Empress” – Adult

Protomelas taeniolatus “Red Empress” is the red and blue variant of the species. This fish is found all over Lake Malawi, but the strain is believed to have originated in Namalenje Island. Red Empress has since been line bred for more intense color patterns. The dominant male exhibits a blue head, intense orange-red coloration on the flanks and red speckling on the fins. Females feature drab gray-brown with black horizontal striping. These fish are not terribly aggressive, but will actively defend territory especially when breeding. Females are mouth brooders and will carry fry for up to three weeks before releasing them. These fish mosty herbivorous, and will pick at algae on the rocks, but cichlid pellets and frozen cichlid formulas in addition to green treats will provide well-rounded nutrition.

 

 

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